A foreign artist visits the exhibition. [Photo/qzwb.com]

The launch ceremony of Five Stars Rising in the East: The Belt and Road International Fine Arts Exhibition was held at the Quanzhou Maritime Museum on Dec 9.

It is the largest international art exhibition in Quanzhou in recent years, with 220 works by 140 artists from 18 countries and regions along the Silk Road on display.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the exhibition presents fine works of Chinese painting, oil painting, printmaking, and other art forms, exploring the historical and cultural significance of the BRI.

According to Yang Xiaoyang, chairman of the China National Society for the Promotion of Arts and Culture, this exhibition used a narrative approach that transcends time and space to showcase to the world the magnificence and brilliance of the BRI.

The "Five Stars Rising in the East Benefit China" is a Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) brocade unearthed from the Niya Ruins in  the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, China. It bears witness to the long history of the ancient Silk Road and reflects the economic prosperity of that time.

Well-known experts and scholars in the fields of art, literature, economy, and tourism at home and abroad were invited to the exhibition to participate in discussions. The exhibition runs from Dec 9, 2023, to Jan 8, 2024.